Every AFL club's squad for the 2027 season is coming together, so how does each team's back, midfield and forward line stack up with their rivals?
We at Zero Hanger will be going through all 18 clubs analysing and ranking them 1-18 across all three thirds of the ground, starting with the backline.
While the draft, delisted free agent signing period and trial spots remain for clubs to recruit players, the majority of each team's starting 23 are in place.
Focusing on the players at their disposal, their style of football in 2026, and with a look forward to Round 1, 2027, this is how we ranked every club 1-18 for its defence.
2. Hawthorn
Defenders: Jarman Impey, James Sicily, Josh Weddle, Karl Amon, Blake Hardwick, Jack Scrimshaw, Tom Barrass, Josh Battle, Noah Mraz, Josh Goater, Matthew LeRay, Bailey Macdonald
The Hawks' defence has everything you could ask for.
Uncompromising lockdown key defenders? Josh Battle, Tom Barrass. Running halfback flankers? Karl Amon, Jarman Impey, Josh Weddle. Interceptors? James Sicily, Weddle again. Utilities? Blake Hardwick, Sicily and Weddle again. Young bucks pushing for a spot? Noah Mraz, Bailey Macdonald and Josh Goater.
Sam Mitchell has the complete set down back. If this was a game of Monopoly, he would be building multiple hotels on this backline right now.
The Hawks ranked fourth in the league for points against in 2026, but the gap between them and second-placed Crows was only a miserly 32 points.
One area the club can look to improve, which it already did in the back end of the season, is to hand Sicily's intercepting third tall defender role to Weddle full time and let the athletic beast settle and maximise his talent.
Hawthorn heads into next season as arguably the favourites for the flag, and its defence, masterminded by Mitchell and assistant coach Kade Simpson is looming to be an impenetrable force.
